F I N A L R E P O R T2 0 1 3

CREATINGCONNECTIONS

u Lives of Connsequencecampaign was on the threshold of achieving its $425 million gooal, and many of its initiatives were well underway. Just fi ve months later, in January 2012, fithe goal was met. Such success—despite the worst economic doownturn since the Great Depression—can only be explained by pointing to thee unusually devoted alumni, parents, and friends of Amherst College.

As we know, the story did not end there. When the campaign ccompleted its work in June 2013, a record-setting $502 million had been raised inn support of Amherst’s need-blind fi nancial aid policies, its increasingly diveerse student body, fiand faculty-student research opportunities. These gifts will be crritical to maintaining and advancing a residential liberal arts education of the caliberr Amherst offers.

The Lives of Consequence campaign also aimed to create conneections to strengthen eAmherst’s mission. During the campaign, a stunning 86 percentt of alumni connected with students, faculty, and one another through acaddemic, co-curricular, regional, and volunteer programming, as well as through mentooring and career regional, and volunteer programming, as well as through mento

ect, personally, with pathway opportunities. Each of these intentional efforts to conneur students.Amherst add up to increased opportunities and resources for ou

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

I am grateful to our trustees; to the Campaign Executive Coommittee Co-chairs Brian J. Conway ’80, Hope E. Pascucci ’90, and Jide J. Zeeitlin ’85; to Chief Advancement Offi cer Megan Morey and her team; and to our Amherst faculty fiand staff, whose dedication to our shared success exceeds all expectations.The campaign also owes an enormous amount to my predeecessor, Tony Marx. Finally, I extend my personal appreciation to all the volunteers, whose tireless efforts drove the campaign’s unprecedented success.

Just as giving back is an Amherst tradition, so too is lookinng forward.The Lives of Consequence campaign called us to a commonn purpose: eto ensure that Amherst’s inspiring, personal approach to a liberal artseducation remains life changing. Only if our work togetherr endures willAmherst remain able to provide access to all students of prromise, set the highest standards for teaching, and expand the frontiers off knowledge. Together, we can ensure that tomorrow’s graduates, like yeesterday’s, think broadly, deeply, and critically—and “give light” to all they do.

With warm regards,

Biddy MartinAmherst College President

THE CONCLUDING CELEBRATION LASTED ONLY A WEEKEND; the effects ofLives of Consequence: A Campaign for Amherstwill be felt by Amherst students and alumni for generations. The Amherst community cametogether on that brief but intellectually vibrant weekend of September 20 and 21,2013. From poster sessions on studentscience research to a point-counterpoint on affi rmative action, from a panel discussion withnew College administrators to a reading celebrat-ing one of the nation’s preeminent poets, the attendees enjoyed plenty of food for thought—and more reasons than ever to be proud. The theme ofthe keynote address—imagining the future of the liberal arts and sciences—perhaps best sums up what the weekend meant: that the future depends on colleges such as Amherst to take the lead. As a result of Lives of Consequence, that future is in the strongest possible hands.

AN EVENT TO REMEMBER

18,6

43 al

umni,

parents, and friends attendedan

Amherst eventon

oroffcampus.

Over

the course

of the campaign,

1,463 EVENTS

were held on campus,

across the country,

and around the

world.

FridayCampus bustled with

attendees making their way among various workshops,

tours, and lectures.

Saturday After two full days of events,

Biddy Martin kicked off a party on the main quad to

conclude the celebration.

LEARNING

TOGETHERThough the curriculum has changed numerous times since the 19th century, CLOSE STUDENT-FACULTY INTERACTION

HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CORNERSTONE OF AN AMHERST

EDUCATION. This tradition will continue to fl ourish thanks to the campaign’s emphasis on funding fellowships and academic internships that promote collaborative research.

To date, nearly 30 students have benefi tted from the fund. Among them was Ewelina Przybyszewski ’13, a history major studying the developmentof uranium mining within Kakadu National Park in Austra-lia’s Northern Territory. Shetraveled to Sydney and Canberrato explore the national archives, collect oral histories in Darwin, and connect with various Aboriginal organizations in the

Kakadu area. “All of these opportunities to experienceliving history were possiblebecause of the Linden Family Fund,” said Przybyszewski.

Another recipient, AlexBernstein ’13, visited Paris andStrasbourg to research thelittle-known history of Alsatiansconscripted into the Germanarmy after the border areasbetween France and Germany

were annexed following the 1940 armistice. “Virtually none of the publications I needed were available through interli-brary loan in the United States,” said Bernstein.

“I am so grateful for the incredibly generous support from the Linden Family Fund.”

During the campaign, donors gave $3.2 million for student research, both tosupport existing funds and to endow new funds. Among these was the LINDEN FAMILY FUND, which provides stipends for students engaged in research, with a preference for students doing thesis work in history.

Both grants focused on strengthening faculty-student research in the humanities and social sciences, as well as developing a new model of collaborative research compatible with scholarly practices outside the sciences. Some Mellon Tutorials introduced sopho-mores to the process of pursuingsocial science and humanities research, while others have beendesigned to help juniors connectpotential theses projects tofaculty research.

Assistant Professor of English Christopher Grobe’s tutorialtitled “American Performance Culture Circa 1900” utilized The M. Abbott Van NostrandTheatre Collection. Housed inArchives and Special Collec-tions, it contains the archives of the Samuel French Company, one of the only distributors of plays in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The tutorial led

Hannah Greenwald ’14 touncover the long-forgotten scandal of Olga Nethersole (1867–1951), who was charged with criminal indecency for her onstage kissing style. Using other material from the archive, Jordan Hugh Sam ’14 examinedthe developing depiction of Asians on the American stage.

The campaign also grew research opportunities for students in the sciences. Chemistry major Mable Lam ’12 (pictured below) received fund-ing to work in the lab of Profes-sor Mark Marshall and hisco-investigator, Professor HelenLeung, on a systematic study of intermolecular forces and inter-actions. Along with developingher skills as a scientist, Lam also coauthored a paper with Profes-sors Marshall and Leung andattended the International Sym-posium on Molecular Spectros-copy. “I chose Amherst for thepromise of close student-faculty interaction,” said Lam, now adoctoral candidate at the Univer-sity of California San Francisco. “And that’s exactly what I found.”

The desire to make gifts of last-ing import to students was asentiment expressed by donors throughout the campaign. “ Alumni, parents, and friends believe in the college’s tradition of learning through close colloquy,” said Megan Morey,chief advancement o cer.“And they understand the valueof students being challengedby their classes, professors, and even their peers. Amherstis extraordinarily grateful fortheir generosity and support of student research.”

5,335 alumni connected with or mentored Amherst students

14,542 alumni connected virtually through

the alumni directory oronline programs

tted from research opportunities fifunded by two ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION grants awarded during the campaign.

When Amherst Reads launched in September 2008, it marked a new direction in connecting alumni—as well as parents and friends—with theintellectual life of the College. Developed by Alumni and Parent Programs, this monthly online book club featured selections from a searchable catalog of over 1,500 alumni- or faculty-written books. Its success led to the VirtualLecture Series, webinars

presented by Amherst professors and alumni thatinclude real-time questions from listeners. Since 2009,the series has o ered 20 virtual lectures with topics rangingfrom economic perspectives on healthcare reform to global-izing Shakespeare. To date,more than 900 members of the Amherst community have “attended” a lecture. “Wehad long wanted to o er some-thing akin to the classroom

experience for alumni and parents,” said Betsy Cannon Smith, ’84, P’15, alumni secre-tary and executive director of Alumni and Parent Programs.“Participants appreciate the chance to focus deeply on a subject for purely intellectual enjoyment—it’s a luxury you often lose after leaving college.”

Likewise, alumni and parents have responded enthusiasti-cally to new opportunities for networking with students. Among these is Pathways,a mentoring program that connects students with alumnimentors willing to provideadvice about exploring careers, navigating the Amherst land-scape, and bridging the gapfrom Amherst to life after col-lege. “Students are extremely excited about the possibilitiesof connecting. So are alumni: we had more than 600 alumni sign up to serve as mentorsbefore the program formally launched to students,” saidCannon Smith. “Pathways is

Alumni Engagement by Category

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Category # of alumni

Online 5,913 6,853 8,157 8,300 8,585

Feedback/Feature 4,545 4,565 4,965 4,674 11,166

Events, Visits, and Programs 3,687 4,066 4,811 5,466 5,150

Volunteer 1,840 1,866 4,087 4,275 4,233

By every measure, the Lives of Consequence

campaign generated extraordinary numbers:

1,463 EVENTS, 18,643 ATTENDEES,

6,100 VOLUNTEERS, AND 5,335

ALUMNI-STUDENT INTERACTIONS.

All of these impressive fi gures resulted from the

Amherst Connects initiative, which recognized the

many ways of giving while encouraging the close

connections among the College, students, and

alumni that are a hallmark of the Amherst experience.

A CONNECTED COMMUNITY

another example of the continuing Amhersttradition of alumni-student interaction and the passionand care our alumni have for making sure the Amherstexperience continues for gen-erations of students to come.”

There’s more. An impressive 3,043 alumni and parentsvolunteered to help organizehomecomings, reunions, and

regional association events, and to host events for incoming students during the campaign. In an overwhelming show of support for Amherst, they donated their time and energy to the Annual Fund and Alumni and Parent Programs, as well as to their respective classes.

From the start, Amherst Connects aimed to build connections that would ripple

out long after the campaign concluded.“That goalwas met and it truly is something to cele-brate,” said Megan Morey, chief advancement o cer.“We are inspired by the mean-ingful engagement opportunitiesfacilitated by Amherst Connectsin the College community.”

g to cele-

73% of alumni gave to the campaign

98% of whom gave through the Annual Fund

The second most signifi cant gift made to Amherst during the campaign has not been credited to one person, but to many: 16,207 people, to be precise. Through the collective generosity and confidencefiof alumni, parents, and friends, gifts to the Annual Fund accounted for a total of $66 million in current-use campaign support for Amherst. Each year, these gifts furthered campaign prioritiesincluding increasing fi nancial aid, supportingfistudent research, strengthening the faculty, enhancing co-curricular programs, and investingin the care and improvement of our inspiringcampus. The campaign effort welcomed many new members to the 1821 Society and Noah Webster Circle, and Young Alumni membership at special levels has doubled. Classmates whocelebrated 25th and 50th Reunions also made remarkable, record-setting gifts to Amherst and the campaign. Overall reunion attendance—combined with unprecedented reunion giving inresponse to Reunion Challenge incentives—helped provide the continuous annual support Amherst

needed during the course of the campaign toensure today’s students and tomorrow’s leaders were receiving an education at Amherst of uninterrupted quality and value. What donors to the Annual Fund across a century demonstrated, the campaign’s supporters proved anew: gifts of every size really do add up (to $66 million, it turns out). Leadership in the Annual Fund also adds up, from the 1,200-strong volunteer corps driving Amherst’s participation, to the 1,500+ members of the 1821 Society andNoah Webster Circle whose gifts provide close to 80 percent of Annual Fund support, to the 8,000 donors each year whose gifts of $100 or less allow nine students needing financial aid to fiattend Amherst. Through the Annual Fund, Amherst’s most generous, consistent, and dedicated supporters gather in tremen-dous numbers each year to help achieve Amherst’s foremost goal: to provide a liberal arts education of uncommon vision and purposeto the most promising students of each generationso that they, in turn, may do the same tomorrow.

ANNUAL GIFTSYOUR

ADD UP

20,388 donors

Donors to the Campaign

5,000 first-time donors to Amherst $502M

resulting in a total of

gave a total of

103,519gifts

THE IMPACTOF YOUR

GIFTS

DURING THE LIVES

OF CONSEQUENCE

CAMPAIGN, 374 DONORS

MADE LEADERSHIP GIFTS.

Whether they created expendable or endowedfunds, their gifts are supporting Amherst and its students in essential—and innovative—ways.

When Janna Behrens, director of international experience, fi rst proposedfistudy abroad peer advising, the idea was met with enthusiasm but funding wasn’t available. That changed a year later, thanks to an allocation from

THE ERIC R. HATTLER 1987 FUND FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP.

“We worked closely,and I treated them as paraprofessionals. They held drop-in hours and organized a variety of special events, all of which were well attended. In turn, they gained solid experience in the eld of international education.”

Hattler established theexpendable fund in 2011 to support new initiatives relatingto student leadership. It’snow creating diverse oppor-tunities for students to helpother students—and someexciting solutions to challengesfacing colleges nationwide.

Behrens was able to employ two seniors who provided study abroad information from a student perspective. “One was an economics majorwho had studied in France.

The other was a geology major who did research inNew Zealand,” said Behrens.

The pilot was so successful that study abroad peer advising now is part of the annual budget. “The Hattler Fund made that possible,” said Behrens. “And this year we have three students working as peer advisors.”

Likewise, Amherst’s Keefe Health Center used the Hattler Fund to increase resources for—and by—students. “We were able to bring Charles Morse, who developed thenationally recognized StudentSupport Network (SSN) programfor suicide prevention, to campus for training sessions,” said Jessica Gi ord, the college’s mental health educator. Health Services also was able to hire a graduate assistant, Abbey Nachman, toorganize the rst SSN cohortof 15 student leaders. Sincethen, six more cohorts havecompleted training.

Another recipient, the Dean of Students’ Offi ce, used the Hattler Fund to provide peer mediation training for 16 student leaders. “We also were able to hire a graduate intern to work on outreach regardingintellectual responsibility and keeping the trust in the class-room,” said Susie MittonShannon, interim assistantdean of students and dean of student conduct. “Our intern isenhancing online resources,including an interactive quiz, frequently asked questions, and

video testimonials from Amherst students. Having allthose materials available has profoundly impacted our ability to serve students.”

Hattler, who is general counselof The Gores Group, a privateequity group based in LosAngeles, wanted his gift to haveprecisely this sort of e ect. “I am pleased to help Amherst students who are willing andable to take on meaningful lead-ership roles in their commu-nity,” said Hattler. “And I hopethat these leadership initiativescan be expanded over time.”

As students, Beth and Brian were both hockey players—Beth on the fi eld and Brian on the ice. They regardathletics as integral to a well-rounded education and wantto support the eld and ice hockey teams in instillingthe lessons they learned about teamwork, dedication,perseverance, and resilienceto current student-athletes.

Their gift also re ects theirstrong support for Amherst’s mission. Beth, Mayor RahmEmanuel’s Deputy Chief

of Sta for Education, and Brian, a partner at the Bartlit Beck law rm, came to Amherst from public schools, and they arecommitted to e orts to improve public school education.

The couple also wanted to make a gift without restrictions, which is why they directed a portion of their gift to the Annual Fund. “We bene tted from Amherst’scommitment to a diverse and well-rounded student body, andwe wanted to support that com-mitment.” Brian said. “We trustAmherst to use our gift in waysthat remain true to its mission.”

ANOTHER LEADERSHIP GIFT is enhancing the athletics experience for student-athletes and helping the Annual Fund increase access for talented students. It is a joint gift from Beth Foley Swanson ’96 and Brian C. Swanson ’94.The couple met at Amherst and now live in Chicago with their three children.

“We believe in the transformative power of education and want to do our part to advanceAmherst’s efforts to keep its doors open to students from all backgrounds,” Beth said.

86% of alumni engaged with the College over

the course of the campaign

$66M in

Annual Fund giving

272 donors became Johnson Chapel Associates by including Amherst in their estate plans

$103M for facilities

$27M for

faculty and curricular support

230 endowed funds for scholarship and access

$202M for

the endowment$70M for

scholarship and access

HOW YOUDID IT

UNPRECEDENTEDSHOW

OF

AN

SUPPORT

ONE MONTH. TWO EXTRAORDINARY—AND

UNRESTRICTED—GIFTS. In November 2009, two Amherst graduates made separate pledges of $100 million and $25 million. The gifts are the largest in the history of Amherst College, and the $100 million gift is believed to be the largest unrestricted cash donation ever to a liberal arts college.

Endowment as of June 30, 2013

Total endowment Annual draw on endowment(three-year average)

Return on endowment(annual, past 20 years)

Endowment-per-student increaseover the course of the campaign

$1,823,748,000 4.6% 12.4% 30.4%

Both gifts were made anonymously. And the timing could not have been more profound. A year earlier,the Lives of Consequencecampaign had launched against a backdrop of declining equity markets, rising unem-ployment, and growing unease about the economy.

“The signii cance of these gifts cannot be overstated,” said Kevin Weinman, chief nancial o cer. “They bolstered

the endowment right when itneeded it the most, as global investment markets were experi-encing precipitous declines. Most importantly, these giftswill live forever. As unrestricted gifts to the endowment, they will provide signi cant, growing,and permanent support to the annual operating budget.

Along with expressing gratitudefor the opportunities that anAmherst education provides, thedonor of the $100 million gift noted the challenges posed by the economic downturn. “I hopeother alumni will be inspired to further support the College, at a time when the economy is stress-ing the resources of all highereducational institutions. Amherstis a jewel of enlightenment,social mobility based on talent, and preparation for leadershipthat we must all maintain.”

In a separate statement, thedonor of the $25 million gift spoke of Amherst’s mission andcore values: “This gift is tosupport Amherst College’s com-mitment to providing the nestquality undergraduate educa-tion, and to provide access tostudents of extraordinary

potential, regardless of theirability to pay, enabling them to lead the lives of consequence to which we all aspire.”

The immense generosity of these donors did inspire other gifts of all sizes and allowed the campaign to far surpass its original goal. At a campus-wide campaign celebration in September, President Biddy Martin highlighted the twoanonymous donations and allthey accomplished.

“These remarkable unrestrictedgifts supported each of thecampaign’s priorities,” saidMartin. “They helped maintainthe College’s need-blind nancial aid policies while help-

ing Amherst support its increas-ingly diverse student body andfoster faculty-student researchopportunities. Their impact isimmeasurable and will help shape Amherst’s future.”

Cumulative Endowment Return for Period June 30, 1995 to June 30, 2013

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Market Benchmark**

Cambridge Associates-Median E&F Returns*

Amherst College

2013201220112010200920082007200620052004200320022001200019991998199719961995

*Avg. 135 peer institutions**60% S&P 500 Index / 40% Barclays Aggregate Bond IndexReturns are rebased to 1995.

LIVES OF CONSEQUENCE CAMPAIGN

The Campaign Executive Committee

Campaign Co-ChairsBrian J. Conway ’80Hope E. Pascucci ’90Jide J. Zeitlin ’85

Honorary ChairsCharles Ashby Lewis ’64, P’93H. Axel Schupf ’57, P’87, ’81, G’12

Alumni Fund ChairsLeo P. Arnaboldi III ’81, P’17, ’14Aimee L. Carroll ’99Christine Noyer Seaver ’81, P’14, ’11

Amherst Connects ChairsAnne Melissa Dowling ’80Laura J. Yerkovich ’80

Communications ChairCullen Murphy ’74

Gift Planning ChairCharles R. Longsworth ’51, P’85

Parents’ Fund ChairsCarol S. and Bruce D. Angiolillo ’74, P’08, ’04Pamela R. and Alejandro E. Camacho P’14, ’12Joanne W. and Paul T. Schnell ’76, P’11

Campaign Regional Leadership

At-LargeKevin J. Conway ’80, P’17, ’15, ’12, ’10Steven M. Gluckstern ’72John S. Middleton ’77Barry S. Volpert ’81, P’14

InternationalDavid A. Novak ’91, Chair

Mid-AtlanticTodd J. Albert, M.D. ’83, P’15, Co-ChairDavid J. Field ’84, Co-Chair

MidwestDouglas C. Grissom ’89, Chair

New EnglandPhilip J. Edmundson ’80, P’10, Chair

New York CityDavid L. Moore ’78, Chair

SoutheastS. Lawrence Kahn III ’68, P’97, Chair

WestDouglas D. Abbey ’71, P’11,’10, Chair

2008TO

2013

CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP

Amherst CollegeAdvancementPO Box 5000Amherst, MA 01002-5000amherst.edu/campaign

CREATINGCONNECTIONS